NPR did a piece last week about the alarmingly dwindling gray wolf population on Isle Royale which is definitely worth reading. Isle Royale, for those unfamiliar, is a large (200+ sq. miles) island in Michigan, off the northern shore of Lake Superior near Ontario. Isle Royale boasts no roads, flying or floating its visitors in by small bush planes or via ferry. The island also only provides year round home to a very small handful of people. Less people visit Isle Royale National Park in a year than the Smokies get in a day.Isle Royale sits 15 miles off the shore from Ontario, its location playing an important role in the island's moose and wolf relationship. This predator-prey relationship has been studied for quite some time, virtually untouched by human interaction. The island's location allowed moose to swim to the island, it is suspected, sometime around the turn of the 20th century. This distance does not allow other "similar" predators or prey to swim to the island, like deer or coyote. It is thought that wolves then traveled an ice bridge from Canada as soon as 60 years ago, and numbers flourished to near 50+ until recent years. Wolves tend to prey on the weakest of the moose, allowing both species to in turn grow stronger and more vital.Recently, because of "parovirus, bitter winters, hunger and warfare between packs" the Isle Royale wolf numbers have dwindled to 15, with a suspected one or two reproducing females. If both of these females were to die without raising a healthy litter of pups, this would spell the end of the gray wolf on the island.Cold Splinters is hoping to make the jaunt to Isle Royale later this summer. Beautiful place.
The Language and Music Of The Wolves
Some of the information that this 1971 Museum Of Natural History record presents are now somewhat inaccurate (*), but there is nothing wrong with hearing Robert Redford talking about wolves in North America while you hear them howl in the background. Download the record below and click the image above for much more info. Side B has no Sundance Kid, just howling. The most perfectly terrifying sound from the "comfort" of your tent. MP3: The Language and Music of the Wolves - Side AMP3: The Language and Music of the Wolves - Side B
RAMPS
When you're out this spring gettin' your land legs back, keep an eye out for the Ramp, or Wild Leek (Allium trioccum). These small wild onions have a strong garlicky odor and flavor. You can munch 'em raw, sauteé them, add 'em to a pesto, or make a ramp and wild morel quiche. This stinky veggie is getting some serious street cred at many restaurants these days (in the near shadows of the Morel mushroom). Ramps grow best on hillsides, in sandy, moist soil. Try checking close to the banks of small streams or rivers. The leaf of the ramp is broad, tender and bright green in color, fading to purple near the stalk. Before pulling up and chowing down you can verify it as a wild leek by tearing a leaf in half. You'll know it's a ramp by the smell. Holy onions. See ya at the Cosby, TN Ramp Festival?
Eating Season
The mid-February thaw here in the Great Lakes and the visit from our ol' pal sunshine got me breaking out the Peterson Field Guide and brushing up on my local wild edibles. I know I'm jumping the gun a bit (a lotta bit), but seeing grass for the first time in months in bits and patches will tide me over. Cold Splinters toured Prospect Park, NY with "Wildman" Steve Brill (pictured above) a while back, but duck over to his website and get lost. The highlight of his site (aside from his real wealth of knowledge) is his archive of media surrounding his arrest in NYC in 1986 for "eating a dandelion". Spring!
SAVE THE BALD EAGLES
While Bald Eagles were removed from the endangered list in the U.S. in 1995, and from the threatened list in 2007, it is noted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in a recent report that an alarming number of Bald Eagles are being found dead on roadways here in Michigan. As the winter sets in and lakes and streams freeze over, fewer available fish pressure bald eagles to scavenge roadkill, be it deer, coyote, fox or raccoon. Don't know if this increase is true the nation over, but wherever you are, be careful out there.